Sheet-feeding device



D. NEiHART.

SHEET FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION man man. 1920,

Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

UNITED sTArss DANIEL NEIHART, OF MARTIN'S FERRY, OHIO.

SHEET-FEEDING- DEVICE. V

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jan, 11,, 1921,

Application filed August 14, 1920. Serial No. 403,628.

To all w ham it away concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL NEIHART, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Martins Ferry, county of Belmont, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet- Feeding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates broadly to sheetfeeding devices, and it has for its primary object to provide a device for automatically feeding metal plates or sheets to a tinning pot or other apparatus.

A further object is to provide a mechanism for feeding sheets from a pack singly and in rapid succession.

A still further object is to provide, in a device of the character mentioned, means whereby the sheets are preliminarily loosened 0r freed from the pack to facilitate the feeding thereof.

With these and other objects in View, the invention resides in the features of construction, arrangement of parts and combinations of elements which will hereinafter be fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the invention;

Iiig. 2 is a partial sectional elevation; anc- Fig. 3 is an elevation of the knocker shaft.

Referring to said drawings, in which like designating characters distinguish like parts throughout the several views 1 indicates a tank within the lower part of which is located a carrier comprising a plurality of endless sprocket chains 2 passed over sprocket wheels 3 and 4 mounted upon shafts 5 and 6 located, respectively, adjacent to the front and rear ends of said tank. The upper traverse of said chains rests upon suitable transverse rollers 7 whereby undue sagging thereof is prevented and constitutes a traveling support for a pack 8 of metal sheets or plates which is mounted edgewise thereon,'as shown in Fig. 1. The sprocket wheels 3 and 4 are so disposed relatively that said upper traverse of said carrier chains inclines downwardly and forwardly to the extent that it will travel forward by gravity when a pack 8 of sheets is placed thereon, whereby such pack is at all times maintained in the foremost position to which it is movable within said tank.

Located at a suitable height within said tank adjacent to the front end ofthe latter is a rotatable shaft or drum 9 which has suitably mounted on the periphery thereof a pluralityof blocks 10 of rubber or other suitable material The pack 8 resting upon the carr1er chains 2 1s at all times maintained in a position in which the upper end portion of the face of the foremost sheet thereof rests firmly against a plurality of saidblocks l0. Sald blocks are designed to frictionally engage such foremost sheet or plate and, with rotation of the shaft or drum 9, to elevate the sheet or plate to a pair of rolls 11 whereby the sheet is advanced or fed forward, as

to the entrance end of a suitably located tinning pot, said rolls being located in a suitable positlon, as upon the top of the front end of the tank, and suitable guides, as 12 and 13, being provided for directing said sheets to said rolls.

Suitable means is provided for separating the foremost sheet from the pack 8that is,

for breaking the vacuum which maintains the sheet in adherlng relation to the next adacent sheet of the pack. Said means as herein shown consists of a knocker shaft 14!;

eral edges of the foremost sheet of the pack for laterally shifting said sheet somewhat with respect to said pack. This lateral shifting of the sheet SllffiCGS to break the adhesion between the latter and the next adj acent sheet of the pack, freeing the same so that it may be readily elevated when frictionally engaged by the blocks 10 of the rotating drum 9. The shaft 14: is located below and slightly rearward of the drum 9 so that it is positively abutted by the face of the pack whichrests against the blocks of said drum and so that said pack is maintained in approximately the slightly inclined position shown in Fig. 1.

To provide for automatic shifting of the I shaft 14, whereby the collars 16 are alternately actuated to strike against and knock the foremost sheets loose from the pack, as aforesaid, a cam face portion 17 is provided on each end of said shaft 14, the same being reversely disposed and being adapted to engage reversely disposed cooperating projections 18 mounted upon the side walls of the tank.

In practice, the tank will ordinarily contain water or other liquid to a depth in which the pack acted upon is completely submerged. i

W hat is claimed is 1. A. sheet feeding device comprising a tank, a rotatable element located within said tank, friction blocks carried by said element, a carrier for pack of metal sheets, said carrier and said element being so positioned relatively that the upper end portion of the foremost sheet of a pack mounted upon said carrier in approximately upright position rests against said blocks, said carrier being downwardly and forwardly inclined and adapted to be advanced by gravity when a pack is imposed thereon, and rolls located in position to receive sheets as they are elevated from said pack by frictional engagement with said blocks.

2. A sheet feeding device comprising a tank, a rotatable cylindrical element located within said tank, a plurality of friction blocks carried peripherally by said element, a carrier for a pack metal sheets, said carrier and said element being so positioned relatively that the foremost s ieet of a pack mounted on said carrier rests against said blocks, means whereby the foremost of the sheets of the pack are freed from adhering relation to the pack, and means for receiving and advancing' sheets they are elevated by frictional engagement with said blocks.

3. A sheet feeding device comprising a tank, a cylindrical element rotatably mount-- ed insaid tank, a plurality of friction blocks carried peripherally by said element, a carrier for a pack of metal sheets, said carrier and said element being so positioned relatively that the foremost sheet of a pack mounted on said carrier rests against said blocks, means whereby the foremost of the sheets of the pack are forcibly freed from adhering relation to the pack, and means for receiving and advancing sheets as they are elevated by frictional engagement with said blocks.

4. A sheet feeding device comprising a tank, a cylindrical element rotatably mounted in said tank, a plurality of friction blocks carried peripherally by said element, a carrier for a pack of metal sheets, said carrier and said element being so positioned relatively that the foremost sheet of the pack mounted on said carrier rests against said blocks, means whereby the foremost of the sheets of the pack is shifted laterally to effect its release from adhering relation to the pack, and means for receiving and advancing sheets they are elevated by frictional engagement w'th said blocks.

5. A sheet feeding device comprising a tank, a cylindrical element rotatably mount ed in said tank, a plurality of friction blocks carried peripherally by said element, a car rier for a pack of metal sheets, said carrier and said element being so positioned relatively that the foremost sheet of a pack mounted on said carrier rests against said blocks, means whereby the foremost of the sheets of the pack is alternately shifted in opposite lateral directions to break the adhering relation between it and the pack, and means for advancing sheets as they are elevated by frictional contact with said blocks.

6. A sheet feeding device comprising a tank, a cylindrical element rotatably mounted in said tank, a plurality of friction blocks carried peripherally by said element, a carrier for a pack of metal sheets, said carrier comprising endless chains disposed in a downwardly and forwardly inclined plane and adapted to travel forward by gravity when a pack is mounted thereon and to maintain such pack with the foremost sheet thereof in engagement with said blocks, and means for advancing sheets as they are elevated by frictional engagement with said blocks.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DANIEL NEIHART. Witnesses:

H. E. DUNLAP, A. L. DUNLAP. 

